गच्छति
gacchati
Say it: gac·cha·ti
Sanskrit equivalent
gacchati, emi, pṛcchati
Meaning
The three formations (described below in the etymology) are represented in Pāli as follows.
- gacch˚, in
pres gacchati;
imper gaccha & gacchāhi;
pot gacche (Dhp.46, Dhp.224) & gaccheyya;
ppr gacchanto,
med gacchamāna;
fut (second) gacchissati;
aor agacchi (Vv-a.307 variant reading agañchi) - gam˚ in three variations; viz
- gam˚, in
pres. caus gameti;
fut gamissati;
aor 3 sg. agamā (Snp verse 408, Snp verse 976; Vv.79:7; Mhvs.vii.9), agamāsi & gami (Pv.20:6) 1 pl. agamiṁhase (Pv.15:10), pl agamuṁ (Snp verse 290), agamaṁsu & gamiṁsu; prohib. mā gami;
ger gamya (verse 31);
grd gamanīya (Kp-a.223)
■ See also der. gama, gamana, gāmika, gāmin - gan˚, in
aor agañchi (on this form see Trenckner Notes, p. 71 sq)
■ In n’āgañchi Ja.iii.190 it belongs to ā + gam); pres
aor gañchisi (Snp verse 665);
inf gantuṁ
ger gantvā;
grd gantabba.
■ See also der. gantar. - ga˚, in
pp gata.
■ See also ga, gati, gatta.
- gam˚, in
- gā˚ in
pret agā (Pv.15:22),
aor 3rd pl. agū (= Sk. ˚uḥ), in ajjhagū, anvagū (q.v.)
Meanings and Use
- to go, to be in motion, to move, to go on (opp. to stand still, tiṭṭhati). Freq in combination with tiṭṭhati nisīdati seyyaṁ kappeti “to go to stand, sit down & lie down,” to denote all positions and every kind of behaviour; Cnd. s.v. gacchati. evaṁ kāle gacchante, as time went on Ja.iii.52, or evaṁ g˚ kāle (Pv-a.54, Pv-a.75) or gacchante gacchante kāle Dhp-a.i.319; gacchati = paleti Pv-a.56; vemakoṭi gantvā pahari (whilst moving) Dhp-a.iii.176.
- to go, to walk (opp. to run, dhāvati) Dhp-a.i.389.
- to go away, to go out, to go forth (opp. to stay, or to come āgacchati): agamāsi he went Pv.20:6; yo maṁ icchati anvetu yo vā n’ icchati gacchatu “who wants me may come, who does not may go” Snp verse 564; āgacchantānañ ca gacchantānañ ca pamāṇaṁ n’ atthi “there was no end of all who came & went” Ja.ii.133; gacchāma “let us go” Ja.i.263; gaccha dāni go away now! Ja.ii.160 gaccha re muṇḍaka Vism.343; gacchāhi go then Ja.i.151, Ja.i.222; mā gami do not go away! Ja.iv.2; pl. mā gamittha Ja.i.263; gacchanto on his way Ja.i.255, Ja.i.278 agamaṁsu they went away Ja.iv.3; gantukāma anxious to go Ja.i.222, Ja.i.292; kattha gamissasi where are you going? (opp. agacchasi) Dhp-a.iii.173; kahaṁ gacchissatha id. Ja.ii.128; kuhiṁ gamissati where is he going Snp verse 411, Snp verse 412.
- with acc. or substitute: to go to, to have access to, to arrive or get at (with the aim of the movement or the object of the intention); hence fig to come to know, to experience, to realize
- with acc. of direction: Rājagahaṁ gami he went to R Pv.20:6; Devadaha-nagaraṁ gantuṁ Ja.i.52; gacchām ahaṁ Kusināraṁ I shall go to K. DN.ii.128; Suvaṇṇabhūmiṁ gacchanti they intended to go (“were going” to S. Ja.iii.188; migavaṁ g. to go hunting Ja.i.149; janapadaṁ gamissāma Ja.ii.129; paradāraṁ g. to approach another man’s wife Dhp.246
- with adverbs of direction or purpose (atthāya): santikaṁ (or santike) gacchati to go near a person (in gen.), pitu s. gacchāma Dhp-a.iii.172; devāna santike gacche Dhp.224 santikaṁ also Ja.i.152: Ja.ii.159, etc. Kathaṁ tattha gamissāmi how shall I get there? Ja.i.159; Ja.ii.159; tattha agamāsi he went there Ja.ii.160. dukkhānubhavanatthāya gacchamānā “going away for the purpose of undergoing suffering” Ja.iv.3; vohāratthāya gacchāmi I am going out (= fut.) on business Ja.ii.133
■ Similarly (fig.) in foll. expressions (op. “to go to Heaven,” etc. = to live or experience a heavenly life, op. next); Nirayaṁ gamissati Ja.vi.368; saggaṁ lokaṁ g. Ja.i.152; gacche pāram apārato Snp verse 1129, in this sense interpreted at Cnd.223 as adhigacchati phusati sacchikaroti, to experience-Sometimes with double acc.: Bhagavantaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi “I entrust myself to Bh.” Vin.i.16-Cp. also phrases as atthangacchati to go home, to set, to disappear; antarā-gacchati to come between, to obstruct.
- to go as a stronger expression for to be, i.e. to behave, to have existence, to fare (cp. Ger. es geht gut, Fr. cela va bien = it is good). Here belongs gati “existence,” as mode of existing, element, sphere of being, and out of this use is developed the periphrastic use of gam˚, which places it on the same level with the verb “to be” (see b)
- sugatiṁ gamissasi you will go to the state of well-being, i.e. Heaven Vin.ii.195; Iti.77; opp. duggatiṁ gacchanti Dhp.317–Dhp.319 maggaṁ na jānanti yena gacchanti subbatā (which will fall to their share) Snp verse 441; gamissanti yattha gantvā na socare “they will go where one sorrows not” Snp verse 445; Vv.51:4; yan ca karoti… tañ ca ādāya gacchati “whatever a man does that he will take with him SN.i.93
- periphrastic (w. ger. of governing verb) nagaraṁ pattharitvā gaccheyya “would spread through the town” Ja.i.62; pariṇāmaṁ gaccheyya “could be digested” DN.ii.127; sīhacammaṁ ādāya agamaṁsu “they took the lion’s skin away with them” Ja.ii.110 itthiṁ pahāya gamissati shall leave the woman alone Ja.vi.348; sve gahetvā gamissāmi “I shall come for it tomorrow” Mil.48.
Vedic gacchati, a desiderative (future) formation from *gṷem “I am intent upon going,” i.e. I go, with the foll. bases 1 Future-present *gṷemskéti → *gaścati → Sk. gacchati = Gr. βάσκω (to βαινω). In meaning cp. i, Sk. emi, Gr. εἰμι “I shall go” & in form also Sk. pṛcchati = Lat. porsco “I want to know,” Vedic icchati “to desire.” 2 Present *gṷemi̯o = Sk. gamati = Gr. βαίνω, Lat. venio, Goth. qiman, Ohg koman, E. come; and non-present formations as Osk kúmbened, Sk. gata = Lat. ventus; gantu = (ad) ventus 3 *gṷā, which is correlated to *stā, in Pret. Sk ágām, Gr. ε ̓́βην, cp. β ̈ημα